Natalya Poklonskaya, the Prosecutor of the Republic of Crimea delivers 80 photos of Emperor Nicholas II to Livadia Palace

Natalya Poklonskaya, the Prosecutor of the Republic of Crimea visited Livadia Palace on October 23rd, to hand over photos of the last Russian emperor to the museum.

Poklonskaya handed over more than 80 photos of Nicholas II, some of them unique, to the museum of Livadia Palace, the summer retreat of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. The photos were given to her by a priest from the Assumption Monastery of the Caves in Crimea.

“Nicholas II sacrificed himself, his family and what he had for Russia. We should remember and show this achievement so that young people love, value and protect their homeland,” she added.

The photos will be presented at the interactive exhibition ‘The Romanovs: My Story’, which has been touring the Crimea since August. The exhibition marks 400 years since the royal dynasty was founded. The Romanovs ruled Russia from the 17th century to the revolution which saw Nicholas II abdicate in 1917.

Poklonskaya also visited the music room of the tsar’s family. She sat at the antique white piano, where the wife of Nicolas II and his daughters loved to play their favourite pieces.

Crimea’s prosecutor then showed that she doesn’t only solve crimes and is engaged in government work. She played a number of classical music compositions on the antique instrument, among them was Masquerade, a waltz by famous Soviet Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian.

Natalia Poklonskaya was awarded the Imperial Order of Saint Anastasia by the

On July 20th, 2014, Natalia Poklonskaya was awarded the Imperial Order of Saint Anastasia by the Head of the Russian Imperial House, HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna during the latter’s official visit to Moscow.

For the first time since before the 1917 Revolution, visitors to Livadia Palace can now visit the rooftop (solarium) of the palace in the recently restored 100-year-old lift. It was here that Tsar Nicholas II and his family would come to relax and take in spectacular views of Yalta and the Black Sea.

The lift was produced by Carl Flor in Germany and installed in 1911 and was one of the first lifts on the southern coast of Crimea. It was installed by the palace architect Nikolai Krasnov, in order to facilitate the movement of the Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from haemophilia, and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who suffered from sciatica. The lift allowed them both to reach the upper floors of the palace, including the solarium.

The Empress particularly enjoyed this part of the palace where she loved to spend time with her family. The roof offered her a sanctuary, where she could rest, while enjoying the warm, sunny days that the Crimea offered. The solarium was decorated with her favourite plants and flowers.

After the revolution, the elevator was seldom used and fell into disrepair. Perhaps its lack of use during the Soviet years is what actually saved the Imperial lift? When workers set to work on restoring the lift in 2010, they noted its mechanism was still fully functional, and surprisingly, inside the cabin, too, was well preserved in its original form.

The lift was restored and opened to the public in April 2013. Inside is a small, but cozy cabin, paneled with mahogany, and a small stool, with room enough for only three people. The glass doors close silently and slowly and the two-storey climb to the solarium is absolutely quiet, no rattle and roar.

During my visit to Livadia Palace in 2000, I was invited to visit the solarium, however, it was only reachable at the time by stairs. It was a rare treat to say the very least, and I have many photographs of the roof top of the palace and the magnificent panoramic views this sanctuary offers. I can truly appreciate why the Empress loved this spot so much.

The Memorial Chapel to the Holy Royal Martyrs is located at the entrance to Livadia Palace

The consecration of the Memorial Chapel to the Holy Royal Martyrs at Livadia took place on September 22nd. The chapel was constructed in honour of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, and to mark the 150th anniversary of the construction of the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross at Livadia Palace. In attendance were the Head of the Russian Imperial House, HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and her son, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, who were on an official visit to the Crimea.

The seven-meter chapel is located at the entrance to the palace-museum. Inside the tiny chapel is a beautiful icon made of mosaic tiles depicting Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, their son Tsesarevich Alexis, and their four daughters, the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia standing in front of the Livadia Palace.

The wall panels and bookcase in the grand duchesses classroom were made from the same oak tree. Photo credit: Old Yalta

The Livadia Palace Museum has acquired a unique new exhibit - the original bookcase from the classroom of the daughters of Tsar Nicholas II. [OTMA was an acronym used by the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia.]

After the Bolsheviks nationalized the Imperial residences, Livadia Palace was opened as the world's first sanatorium for peasants. Much of the furniture, paintings and objects of everyday life were distributed to other museums in Russia, while others were sold through thrift shops in Yalta. In 2000, I hosted a group tour to the Crimea in which Marina Zemlyanichenko was a featured guide and speaker. Ms Zemlyanichenko was the former curator of the Livadia Palace, and author of numerous books and articles about the Romanovs at Livadia and the Crimea. She told me that a number of pieces of furniture, including rare Persian rugs were moved to the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg where they remain in storage to this day.

During the postwar period it became a guest house for members of the Soviet government. In 1953 the building was handed over to the Council of Trade Unions, and used to treat cardiology patients. In 1974, the palace became the History and Art Exhibition Centre. It was not until 20 years later, in 1993, that the Ministry of Culture of the Autonomous Region of the Crimea decided to open the Livadia Palace Museum.

During the ensuing years great efforts were made to track down furniture, art and other items that were once housed in the former Imperial residence. Sadly, the fate of most of them is unknown, so each new find is considered a great success. Recently, however, the opportunity to purchase an authentic piece of furniture from the former Livadia Palace came about. In addition to belonging to the Imperial Palace, it is interesting to note that this particular piece of furniture in the "modern style", was not only fashionable at the turn of the century, but also characteristic of the decoration of the Livadia Palace itself.

The bookcase, like other pieces of furniture in the grand duchesses classroom was made by the Austrian furniture company Jacob & Josef Kohn. In the late 19th-early 20th century Jacob & Josef Kohn had firmly established themselves in Russia. They created about a thousand pieces of furniture for the Russian Imperial family, and aristocratic homes in Tsarist Russia. They were one of the first to adopt the style of Art Nouveau and thus involved in the development of new products and designers.

Due to the wide popularity of the modern style in Russia, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna invited the Petersburg Company factory to participate in furnishing the interiors of Livadia Palace. In January 1910, the palace’s architect Nikolai Krasnov, granted a contract to the firm on a number of interior design living spaces, in particular, the grand duchesses bedrooms, their living room and classrooms. The classroom of the grand duchesses, created in the modern style, the furniture (including the bookcase) were all created from the same oak tree. Today, the bookcase has been beautifully restored and returned to its historic location in the former grand duchesses classroom at Livadia Palace. The grand duchesses rooms, which are located on the first floor of the palace are today part of a permanent exhibition dedicated to the Romanovs at Livadia.

Livadia Palace, situated near Yalta in the Crimea was the setting for the White Flower Day on Sunday, May 19th. The tradition of this charitable sale originated in the early twentieth century by the last Empress of Russia, Alexandra Feodorona.

Beginning in 1911, the whole community took part including members of the Imperial family and the nobility who were vacationing at their palaces in the region, and the local townsfolk. They flocked in numbers to contribute to the good deeds by buying bouquets of white daisies, paying what they could whether it was a few kopecks or hundreds of rubles. Each donation helped alleviate the suffering of those in need. The grand duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and their little brother Alexis eagerly assisted their mother at the open stalls.

The noble cause was reinstituted in 2005, and has since been held annually on the second Sunday after Easter. The event is held at the Church of the Exaltation at Livadia Palace. Money collected in this year's auction will be spent on new equipment and the training of nurses at a new retirement home to be opened in the territory of the Yalta City Hospital, as well as helping the poor and sick to fight tuberculosis.

The symbol of this holiday is the white daisy, which today is distributed to all who make a donation. The people of Yalta took an active interest in the event, including the local women who donated their baked goods, handicrafts and flowers, while local school children donated their drawings, and handicrafts made of white flowers.

White Flower Day at the Martha Mary Convent in Moscow. Photo credit: Pravmir.ru

White Flower Day is held in a growing number of cities across Russia, including Moscow, St. Petersburg and Ekaterinburg.

A memorialchapel to the Holy Royal Martyrs has been erected at Livadia in the Crimea. The seven-meter chapel is located at the entrance to the palace-museum. Inside the tiny chapel is a beautiful icon made of mosaic tiles depicting Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, their son Tsesarevich Alexis, and their four daughters, the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia standing in front of the Livadia Palace.

Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra walking along the Tsar's Trail during one of their visits to Livadia

The famous Tsar's Trail which stretches along the Black Sea coast of the Crimea has been closed due to a landslide.

Laid more than a century ago, Tsar Nicholas II and his family often walked the 6-km trail between Livadia and Oreanda, enjoying the spectacular views of the Black Sea and the mountain slopes.

Heavy rains contirbuted to the collapse of a 10-metre portion of the historic trail earlier this week. Local officials are blaming the development of high-rise apartments which aided with the erosion of the slopes since their construction in 2006.

Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Crimea Anatoly Mogilev is holding the construction company who build the high-rise apartments liable and has ordered them to restore the trail.

The Livadia Palace-Museum have published two new books as part of their ongoing celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the famous residence of Tsar Nicholas II in the Crimea.

The first book, The Romanovs in Livadia: At Home With the Family of Nicholas II, 1911-1914, provides a photographic history of the last Russian tsar and his family during their stays at Livadia, while the second, Livadia in Watercolours, offers a beautiful collection of watercolours of the palace, its interiors and surrounding park by a variety of Russian artists. Both are richly illustrated with text in Russian.

The palace of Livadia has launched a comprehensive web site as part of their 100th anniversary. The site is filled with information about the history of the palace, its Imperial residents, and richly illustrated with hundreds of historical and contemporary photos.

The web site is currently only available in Russian, and there are still a number of sections under construction.